Chapter 1 The Light Within
JULY 10
THE MAJESTIC STATUE of the two dragons craved to reveal its secrets. Theo could sense the power pulsing within it. Zmey and Lamia’s parents kneeled on the back of a huge turtle, the Celestial Turtle, the Mother of the Universe. Theo had discovered that piece of information while he scoured the castle’s scant library. The first time he’d seen this statue in the small ballroom, he’d marveled at how in love the couple looked.
Cradled between the dragons were two eggs. An engraving had been etched into each with precious metals, silver on Zmey’s white egg and gold on Lamia’s golden one. The design was of an ouroboros, not the familiar snake swallowing its tail, but a dragon formed the circle of eternal life. Like the dragon couple, love shone on the faces of these dragon etchings. A special bond had existed between Zmey and Lamia even before they hatched.
A bittersweet feeling overwhelmed Theo every time he came into this room. So much love had turned to hate. The animosity was enough to cause one sibling to attempt to murder the other. For what? Jealousy? Power? Pride? Compulsion? He didn’t know the entire story about what had caused a rift between his father and aunt. Theo had always thought nothing could come between twins.
“What are you trying to tell me?” he asked the dragons.
He’d felt the pull of the statue so strongly these past couple of days, drawing him here to stand for hours, staring at the once-happy family. Today was different. The statue silently compelled him to touch the ouroboros engraving on Zmey’s egg.
Theo hesitated as he reached out his hand. What’s going to happen if I do?
In the past, strange things had occurred when he’d touched magical items. A marble dragon had softened in Selo. And in Zmeykovo, a globe in the secret garden had shown him a vision of his upcoming battle with Lamia.
What revelation will I receive today?
He lowered his hand to graze the surface of the etching. A chill raced up his arm, and he shuddered. A mystical energy beyond his understanding spread throughout his body.
Then a voice hummed in Theo’s mind. “Look at me!”
He raised his head to the dragons. Four ruby eyes pierced his brain like a burning sword.
The floor dissolved into a mist, leaving him drifting in nothingness. From the direction of the statue, a pinprick of light appeared. It swirled, slowly at first, but picked up speed until it grew larger and brighter, swallowing him.
Within the midst of the light, a calming, but authoritative voice like none he’d heard before spoke. “Theo, the fate of your father and Zmeykovo is in your hands. Be strong. Use your mind but listen to your heart. Don’t be afraid. Fear limits us, and we cannot move forward.” The voice faded, but left Theo with its whispered parting words. “He who has light within himself will tear apart the darkness.”
The light vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Theo discovered himself standing by the statue, his hand still upon the etching on Zmey’s egg. He swayed when he tried to move, so he leaned his head against the cool marble until the dizziness receded.
No one else was in the room, so the voice had to have come from the statue … or the egg. He glanced at the dragons’ eyes again. Once more, they were lifeless.
Theo hadn’t been terrified this time when a dragon statue spoke to him. When Zmey’s figure back in Selo had done that, Theo thought he was going crazy.
Maybe I shouldn’t keep touching dragon statues. He laughed nervously as he rubbed his aching head.
But at least he’d received an answer, even though it was another riddle. What did the voice mean about the light and the darkness? If anyone knew, it would be Zmey.
Theo hurried to his father’s room and peered through the door, which had been left open a crack. A subdued aroma of herbs and incense permeated the dim bedroom. The scents were meant for healing and comfort, but they provided little solace for Theo. How could he relax when his father, the dragon king, lay shivering under sweat-soaked covers?
If Death were more than an imaginary being, he’d be standing in the corner waiting to take Zmey to the otherworld. Actually, the Forest of Souls, Theo corrected himself. That’s where his mother’s soul resided, and he assumed his father would go there, too, when he died. Theo locked his arms around his chest as if trying to keep his racing heart from exploding out of his chest. He examined every inch of the room. In this magical land of Zmeykovo, he couldn’t be sure the creature Death didn’t actually exist and was waiting nearby to seize the dragon king.
Zmey groaned in his sleep. Theo entered the room and approached the bed. He rested his hand on his father’s sunken grayish cheek. The once powerful man looked so small, cocooned within pillows and quilts. Gold thread embroidered into the olive-green fabric remained the only indication that the man lying there held a royal status.
I don’t know how Dad has survived like this for the past week. Magda brought him back from certain death, but it’s not enough. I need to recover Zmey’s ouroboros belt. That Lamia … Theo clenched his fists.
His father stirred. Theo flexed his fingers and rubbed gentle circles on Zmey’s cheek. “Shh. Sorry I disturbed you.”
“Theo?” Zmey blinked and squinted in the candle’s glow.
“I’m here.”
With rapid, shallow breaths, Zmey twisted his head in Theo’s direction.
“Let me help you.” Theo raised his father to a sitting position and adjusted the pillows and blankets to secure him.
“Thank you.” Zmey coughed through hoarse words. Finally, he patted the bed. “Come closer. We need to talk.”
Afraid of hurting Zmey, Theo hesitated before sitting on the edge of the bed. He picked up his father’s hand and gently squeezed it. A faint, but steady pulse beat against Theo’s palm.
“Son, every day I don’t have my belt my strength grows weaker.”
“I’ll save you.” Theo held back the tears, wanting to be strong for his father. “I’ll get your belt back. I’ll—”
“No, Theodore.” Zmey shook his head. “I know you’re doing everything you can to help me, but Lamia’s too strong. And with Zlo’s help … I fear for your safety if you go up against them again.” He closed his eyes while he swallowed several times.
Theo poured cold water into a rhyton on the bedside table and handed Zmey the drink.
After taking small sips and licking his parched lips, Zmey rasped, “Before I leave you, I need to tell you something important. Since you’re my heir, I must make sure you’re ready to rule.”
While Zmey stopped to sip more water, Theo’s mind raced with thoughts of what kind of task his father would demand of him. Didn’t an heir in fairy tales slay a dragon to prove his worthiness? Theo had already done that. It wasn’t his fault his aunt, the cursed Lamia, had been revived. Or maybe it was. If Theo hadn’t returned to Zmeykovo, Lord Zlo wouldn’t have been able to bring Lamia back from the dead. But then, if Theo hadn’t come, he would never have been able to rescue his father either.
As if reading Theo’s mind, Zmey continued, “First, let me say that I believe in you and know you’ll be a worthy leader. I’m confident you’ll rescue Zmeykovo from Zlo, and I believe there’s still a chance you can save my sister.”
Theo grunted. He had no desire to save Lamia. She’d proven she had no love for her own brother when she’d stolen his belt and left him to die in the bowels of the earth. If it hadn’t been for Zunitza’s care, her spirit remaining with Zmey the entire time, he would have died before Theo had a chance to rescue him. No, Lamia deserved whatever punishment Theo could dole out to her.
“But that’s not what I need to tell you,” Zmey continued. “As ruler of Zmeykovo, I have an obligation to my beloved residents to take care of their security, prosperity, and future. It’s important that you know and live our sacred creed.” Zmey paused and spoke as if reciting a long-memorized quote, “He who has light within himself will tear apart the darkness.”
“What?” Theo jerked backward. “I … I heard that already today. That’s why I came here. What does it mean?” Was the universe telling him that everything would be fine, and he would succeed if he believed in himself?
“It’s what I was taught when I was trained to control my powers and learn how to rule.” Zmey coughed. His next words were weak, and he spoke them with effort. “It comes from the book Lodge of Light and Lodge of Darkness. You must search for the light of Tangra and let it guide you. Light is the highest level of purity. It’s what will make you a strong, honorable leader. This is what you’ll need in your fight against Zlo and his darkness. You must discover the light within yourself and carry it with you.”
Theo didn’t understand what his father was saying, but he nodded vigorously.
Pleading with troubled eyes, Zmey reached for Theo’s hand. “Promise me you’ll always care for our people and land the way I have. I’ve put them before my own needs.”
“I will.” Theo choked on his words.
He could no longer hold back the tears, and they jiggled down his cheeks. His father couldn’t die yet. Theo didn’t know if he was ready to take on such a big responsibility or if he was capable of honoring the promise he’d just made.
How am I going to manage this?
He had two homes. Zmeykovo and Selo. The moment he’d found his father in the prison, Theo had stopped thinking about this land as Dragon Village. Now, to him, it was Zmeykovo, the name those who lived here called it.
But how could he abandon his human mother and his sister, Nia, in Selo? They needed him too, and he had promised to keep them safe.
“I’ll find Lamia,” he said with a shaky voice. “I’ll take your belt back from her and save you. You have to hold on and be strong, Father.”
Zmey continued as if he hadn’t heard Theo, “We haven’t had much time to talk about Zmeykovo. I don’t have time to teach you how to use your gifts and the powers you inherited from your mother and me. There’s so much to learn about how to control them, about being a dragon, but you’re like your mother, smart and good. I know you’ll find a way.”
“I will. I will.” Theo rested his head in his hands.
“Find Jabalaka,” Zmey said. “He’s a good teacher. He has a wealth of knowledge and more books than you’d ever be able to read in a human lifetime.”
Theo tightened his grip on his forehead, and his body went cold. Zmey doesn’t remember that Jabalaka died! And that Lamia burned his library!
“Oh, Father!” Theo gently wrapped his arms around Zmey’s frail body. “I will. Don’t worry. I’ll learn everything I need to know. I’ve read a book about Zmeykovo’s history and its secrets and hidden knowledge.”
“Good, good.” Zmey patted Theo’s back.
After releasing his father, Theo wiped away his tears using the back of his hand.
“There’s more,” Zmey said. “Learn all you can about Tangra, our sun god, and the Znahar Tree.” Zmey closed his eyes. His words began to slur and were broken as he rambled from one subject to another. “Humans expelled us. Called us evil. Black forces. Samodiva. Magda. Trust her. Zunitza.” And more words Theo couldn’t decipher.
“Yes, I’ll learn.” Theo leaned forward and kissed his father’s cheek. “I’ll let you rest now. I’ll find Magda, so she can give you medicine.”
“No, wait.” Zmey fluttered his eyes open. “I need to tell you more. This key …” With a shaking hand, he reached under his nightshirt and displayed a key on a golden chain. Interlocking loops, the symbol of the Celestial Turtle, embellished the stem. “This unlocks a place only the ruler has access to. It will be yours when I’m gone. I need to show you the Chamber …”
Zmey broke out into a coughing fit, and sweat poured down his face. He rasped out words between breaths. “Zunitza, my love. I’m coming.”
Theo touched Zmey’s forehead. It was scorching.
“Magda!” Theo ran to the door and threw it open. Where was she? She hadn’t been anywhere near the room when Theo arrived, and she was supposed to be taking care of Zmey.
“I’m here.” A thin figure appeared from a dark corridor, light from a lamp casting shadows on her pale, expressionless face. In the dim light, Magda looked like the incarnation of Death that Theo feared would take his father away, but, for now, she was Zmey’s only hope of survival.
“Help Zmey, please!”
Magda rushed to Zmey’s side. “Shh. Shh.” She removed a box from a drawer in the nightstand, selected something, and waved it under Zmey’s nose. “Breathe. These dry herbs will calm you.”
Slowly, Zmey’s hacking cough subsided.
Magda withdrew a pinch more of herbs from the box, put them into a small bag, and dunked them in a container of water. She lifted Zmey’s head. “Drink this. It’ll help you rest.”
After he did, she lowered him so he could sleep. “Theo, could you get the robe and belt that are in the cupboard? Zmey likes to hold them when he gets like this.”
“I didn’t mean to upset him.”
Magda shook her head. “It wasn’t you. It just happens.” She held out her hand. “The robe and belt, please?”
Theo opened the door and discovered two garments. One was the robe Magda had mentioned. He caressed the silky white fabric. It reflected the dim light in the room. The material was so delicate he believed the stories that said Samodivi wore clothing made from moonbeams. Patterns on the robe were embroidered in red along the neckline and cuffs. The images represented nature and the connection with the land: trees, animals, herbs, and more. They told a story about Zmeykovo and the lives of the Samodivi, their bravery and the role they played as protectors of the land, as well as their goddess and her temple.
Next to the robe, a dress covered with golden coins, looking like scales, shimmered in the soft candlelight. The flexible material flowed to the bottom of the cupboard. Theo glanced down the length of the dress. The golden color transitioned into deeper hues of copper and bronze toward the bottom.
“It’s beautiful,” he said as he handed the robe to Magda. “The dress is, too.”
“They’re both part of Zunitza’s wedding ensemble, an outfit worthy of our queen, leader of the Samodivi.” She pressed her lips into a tight smile.
Theo looked at the wedding dress again. It certainly was worthy of his mother. Young women in his village had similar wedding dresses, but the gold coins on theirs only covered the bib. They were sewn on to represent a dragon’s scales. Even though the village had rituals to protect girls from being abducted by a dragon, they still dressed as if they were dragon brides. Zmeykovo’s Samodiva queen was a true dragon bride.
“Please give me the belt, too,” Magda said. “It’ll bring Zmey’s fever down more quickly.”
“I didn’t see one.” Theo went to the cupboard to check again. “Nope, no belt, only a robe and dress.”
Magda scowled. “Diva was looking at the belt earlier. She must have stolen it.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Let’s leave so your father can rest. No need to upset him further.” Outside Zmey’s chambers, Magda said, “Whoever took the belt knows about its power. It’s even more powerful than the robe. If it wasn’t Diva, then you have another thief here. When you’re destined to rule, everyone is a potential enemy. Friends turn on you.”
“But not Diva?” Doubt crept into Theo’s mind.
Diva had enjoyed the cheers of the people when Theo had brought his father home. Did she want to rule Zmeykovo?
Had Zmey, in his ramblings, said a Samodiva practiced black forces or had he said Diva did? Zmey’s words were so slurred, it was difficult to tell. But he had also said to trust Magda, hadn’t he?
“Let me help you find the truth.” Magda hugged Theo. “I’ve kept your father safe. I’ll do the same for you. We’re family, after all. I love you like a son.”
Chills crept over Theo. Was it from Magda’s touch or the thought of Diva betraying him?
